Woody Woodpecker's Roots in New Rochelle - 120 Years Ago Today

Walter Benjamin Lantz

Walter Benjamin Lantz, animator, producer and director, was born on April 27, 1900 in New Rochelle, New York to Italian immigrant parents. His father, whose surname Lanzas was anglicized to Lantz by a immigration official, was soap maker by trade, but became a butcher when he moved to New Rochelle. The family lived at 169 Washington Avenue.

Lantz was always interested in art, having completed a mail order drawing class at age 12. While working as an auto mechanic, he got his first break when a wealthy customer named Fred Kafka liked his drawings posted on the garage's bulletin board and financed his studies at Art Students League. Kafka also helped him get a job as a copy boy at the New York American. 

In 1927, Lantz moved to Hollywood, where he worked as an independent producer and founded Walter Lantz Productions. His most famous cartoon characters were Andy Panda, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Woody Woodpecker. He is credited with producing the first Technicolor cartoon. 

Woody Woodpecker

It was during Lantz's honeymoon with actress Grace Stafford in 1941 at a lakeside cottage that he found the inspiration for his most famous creation. When the couple heard a woodpecker drilling holes in the shingles of the roof, Grace suggested adapting the bird as a cartoon character. She eventually went on to become the voice of the pesky bird after her husband initially turned her down because Woody was a male character. Undeterred, Grace secretly made an audition tape and submitted it anonymously. Not knowing whose voice was being heard, Lantz picked Grace's voice to do Woody and his raucous laugh. 

Walter Lantz received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement for his for contributions to the art of animation. His Woody Woodpecker artifacts are part of the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. In 1982, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2011, Lantz was among the first notables to be inducted into the New Rochelle Walk of Fame. He died on March 22, 1994, at home in California.  

Woody Woodpecker's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star

Happy Birthday, Monty!

Happy Birthday, Monty!

Will it be Door #1, Door #2 or Door #3?

Today is the birthday of Monty Hall, as our local history intern Michael Weaver reveals:

Monty Hall was born on August 25, 1921 at Winnipeg in Canada as Monte Halparin. It was there that he gained his start as an entertainer, speaking on the radio. Later he moved to Toronto, then New York, serving a five-year run as host of NBC’s monitor. During this period he lived in New Rochelle with his wife and three children. Eight years later, he moved to California, and he eventually became most well-known for hosting the game show Let’s Make a Deal. At age 94, Monty still lives in Beverly Hills with his wife, but New Rochelle honored him with a spot on the Walk of Fame in 2014.

Notable New Rochelleans

Notable New Rochelleans

Which Famous New Rochelleans were born in the last few weeks of July? Our local history intern, Michael Weaver, has researched a few for us:

George Lawrence Starke was born on July 18, 1948 in New Rochelle. He is most famous for his career as an offensive lineman in the Washington Redskins, playing with them for twelve years and playing a key role in his team’s victory at Super Bowl XVII. At the time of his retirement, George was listed as one of the greatest players in Redskins history.

Alan Menken was born on July 22, 1949, and was raised in New Rochelle. Alan was always a fan of music, and eventually became a composer for film music. Alan was responsible for the music of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Enchanted, and those are only his Disney films! Alan was named a Disney Legend in 2001, and was inducted in the New Rochelle Walk of Fame.

Robert Lewis May was born in New Rochelle on July 27, 1905 to a secular Jewish family.  Despite this, he was one of the most influential people in the creation of modern Christmas. At the end of the Great Depression, Robert wrote the poem Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at request of his boss at Montgomery Ward Department Store. The poem was a wild success, and was adapted to a spoken word poem in 1947, the second highest-selling Christmas song of all time in 1949, and finally a TV special in 1964. Robert died on August 10, 1976, but his legacy lives on in his most famous creation.

Martin Bookspan was born on July 30, 1926, and is an announcer, commentator and author. He worked in various radio studios in his youth, but he became most famous for his commentary on the PBS show Live From Lincoln Center. Martin worked on the show for thirty years, from 1976 to 2006, until retiring and being replaced by Fred Child.

Whitney Moore Young Jr. was born on July 31, 1921 in Shelby County, Kentucky, but would spend his final years living in New Rochelle with his wife and children. Whitney Young was the Executive Director of the National Urban League for ten years, and is historically regarded as one of the six most influential leaders of the Civil Rights movement, a peer with Martin Luther King Junior and Roy Wilkins, among others. Whitney died in 1971 while swimming in Africa, but his legacy lives on. He was inducted into the New Rochelle Walk of Fame in 2011, and his name graces the auditorium of New Rochelle High School.

Happy Birthday, Jay!

Happy Birthday, Jay!

Several dozen notable individuals are honored in the New Rochelle Walk of Fame, which is located in Ruby Dee Park at Library Green. The interpretive signs that make-up the Walk constitute a veritable “Who’s Who in America,” over a course of three centuries. One of the most surprising honorees is celebrating his birthday today. Here’s a snippet from the Walk of Fame sign for Jay Leno:

Born James Douglas Muir Leno in 1950 in New Rochelle, Jay Leno was the son of an Italian-American father and a Scottish mother whom he claims had a “Gracie Allen type of humor.”

He grew up in a house still located at 69 Leland Avenue. He attended Trinity School before his family moved to Massachusetts in 1959 but his relatives remained in New Rochelle. His uncle, Anthony, started the popular establishment Leno’s Clam Bar on Pelham Road (although that side of the family pronounces the name “Leeno”).

He apparently has always had a heart for comedy. His fifth-grade report card read: ‘If Jay spent as much time studying as he does trying to be a comedian, he'd be a big star.’ Jay Leno is well known for his philanthropy. He won Emmy Awards in 1995 and 2011, and has been nominated numerous times. He has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Jay Leno was honored in the Walk of Fame in New Rochelle, his hometown, in 2013!